VIS, Helse Bergen, and Youwell enter into a new partnership

A new partnership has been entered into between Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap (VIS), Helse Bergen, and Youwell, aiming to give earlier help and support for children's mental health, already in kindergarten.

After taking part in a simplified tender process, Youwell and VIS have signed an agreement to deliver a web application for PRO-DIALOG (Promoting mental health in young children - a dialogue-based approach in kindergartens).

We're already well underway with the research part of PRO-DIALOG, where we're testing how well the method works in ordinary kindergartens, and the results so far are very promising. We now need a digital version that can easily be used in ordinary kindergartens, and that's what we hope Youwell can help us with. In the next phase, we'll also develop an online training module, self-guided for kindergarten teachers and parents.

- Ingvar Bjelland, consultant and professor, who developed the method in collaboration with kindergarten teachers and parents at eight different kindergartens in Bergen

The goal is to create a user-friendly platform for digitally delivering the PRO-DIALOG method, where the six-monthly development conversation is used with a clearer focus on the child's mental health. Before the conversation, the kindergarten teacher and parents answer the same questions about possible concerns, so the conversation becomes a more equal dialogue rather than a plain report from the kindergarten.

Youwell will develop the first version of the web application for the PRO-DIALOG project, where answers to the pre-conversation questions are logged, together with what's concluded during the conversation about concerns and any measures.